


Heaven Waits For You

by percycastiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Dean Winchester Has Nightmares, Dean Winchester is Bad at Feelings, Don't worry he comes back, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Jody Mills is a mom, Multi, Non-Binary Jack Kline, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, kind of, way better than John Winchester ever was
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29593569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/percycastiel/pseuds/percycastiel
Summary: “What— what about Cas?” Dean asked, he’d watched someone very close to him sacrifice himself to save the world. To save Dean. He couldn’t handle the idea of the angel staying in the empty while he and Sam lived out the rest of their lives.“Oh, don’t worry,” Jack said, a smile still on their face, “I’ll see what I can do. I’m not letting my father rot in the empty for eternity.”~ Or ~After Dean asks Jack to bring back Cas, he starts to think about his feelings.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Donna Hanscum/Jody Mills, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Kaia Nieves/Claire Novak, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Everything is Almost Fine

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for 15x18 and everything that comes after because this is basically the finale I wished we had gotten  
> Also, Jack uses they/them pronouns (because of that form he fills out in 15x15)  
> By the way, I did use some of the dialogue from the actual scenes  
> I will be uploading once a week  
> Also, I feel like it should be noted that this is also uploaded on my wattpad account under Leo_Izzi_Valdez

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for 15x18 and everything that comes after because this is basically the finale I wished we had gotten   
> Also, Jack uses they/them pronouns (because of that form he fills out in 15x15)   
> By the way, I did use some of the dialogue from the actual scenes 
> 
> I will be uploading once a week   
> Also, I feel like it should be noted that this is also uploaded on my Wattpad account under Leo_Izzi_Valdez

The impala drove into an empty town and parked on the side of the road. Two men and a kid, who couldn’t have been older than twenty-two, stepped out. The three of them walked a little ways off and stopped in the middle of the street. 

“Alright kid,” said Dean, addressing the youngest among them, “You really think you can pull this off?” 

Jack smiled and took in a deep breath. They closed their eyes and as they breathed out, the empty streets, the empty restaurants, the empty world around them was suddenly bustling with people once more. 

They looked around at the people. None of them had any idea of what had happened that day. No one knew they had been Thanos-snapped out of existence, and that these three had saved them. That these two brothers, an angel, and their twenty-two year old technically-a-toddler kid had saved the world. 

Sam turned back to Jack, “So, does this mean you’re the new—” he struggled to find the right word, “I mean— what do we call you?” 

“Who cares what we call them,” Dean said smiling, “look, all that matters is that they got us back online.” 

Jack smiled to themself, happy by the praise. 

“Hey, what happened to Amara … in Chuck?” Sam asked, not wanting to be happy until he knew they had completely won. 

“She’s with me, we’re in harmony.” 

“You gonna come back with us to the bunker?” 

“What do you mean,” Dean said quickly, “of course they’re going to come back to the bunker. They’re the Man With The Plan, they’re Top Dog, they can do whatever they want now. Come on.” Dean spoke confidently and turned towards his car. 

Sam and Jack shared a look. 

“You know, we’ll spruce the place up, we’ll get some recliners, we’ll get you one of those big screen TVs,” Dean continued, turning to look back at them and making a rectangle with his hands, smiling more than he had in awhile. 

“Dean,” Jack interrupted, “I’m not coming back home. In a way, I’m already there.” 

“Where?” 

“Everywhere.” 

Dean was confused for a second, and then he realized what Jack meant. 

“So you are Him,” Sam asked, but it sounded more like a statement. 

“I’m me,” Jack smiled, “but, I know what you mean.” 

“What if we want to see you,” Sam wasn’t very happy anymore, “you know, have a beer, or whatever?” 

“I’m around,” Jack nodded, “I’ll be in every drop of falling rain, every speck of dust that the wind blows, and in the sand, the rocks, and the sea.” 

“It’s a hell of a time to bail,” Dean said, not an ounce of joy in his demeanor anymore. “There’re a lot of people counting on you. People with questions, they’re gonna need answers—” 

“And those answers will be in each of them. Maybe not today, but someday.” Jack looked at everyone around them. “People won’t need to pray to me, or to sacrifice to me. They just need to know that I’m already a part of them, and trust in that. I won’t be hands on.” They were smiling. “Chuck put himself in the story, that was his mistake. But,” they looked at each of them, “I learned from you, my mother, Castiel, that, when people have to be their best, they can be.” 

Dean looked down, nodding to himself, and Sam had tears in his eyes. But they both understood. 

“And that’s what to believe in,” Jack finished. “Well, I’m really as close as this.” They put their hand on their chest, and Sam and Dean understood what they meant. Jack put their hand up, the way they always made a greeting, and with a smile said, “Goodbye.” 

Dean’s eyes widened. Something was missing.  _ Someone _ was missing. “Wait,” Dean said, before Jack could turn around. 

They looked at him questioningly. 

“What— what about Cas?” Dean asked, he’d watched someone very close to him sacrifice himself to save the world. To save Dean. He couldn’t handle the idea of the angel staying in the empty while he and Sam lived out the rest of their lives. 

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jack said, a smile still on their face, “I’ll see what I can do. I’m not letting my father rot in the empty for eternity.” And it was true. Yes, they were going to be hands off, but they needed to do one last thing for their family. 

Dean nodded, relieved. 

Then Jack turned and walked away, disappearing in a soft flash of light. 

“See ya, Jack,” Sam said wistfully. 

The brothers walked back to the Impala. 

As soon as they were both sitting inside, Sam got a call on his phone. “It’s Donna,” he said surprised. He pressed answer and then brought it up to his ear. “Hey, are you ok?” 

“Sam, what happened?” came her voice, “the last thing I remember was everyone disappearing, but now everyone’s back. Did you win? What happened?” 

Sam listened to her voice in shock. She was okay. Which meant that everyone else he had tried to save was okay too. They must’ve all been very confused. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah we won,” Sam told her. “But it turns out it wasn’t Billy.” 

“Then who was it?” Donna asked, clearly confused. 

“God.” 

There was silence on the other end. 

“You mean,” she finally spoke slowly, “you beat God?” 

Sam huffed out a laugh, “Yeah.” 

“Oofta,” she said, trying to process the information, “How?” 

“Jack,” Sam said simply, “they took his power. Now Chuck is human.” 

“I— wow,” she sounded surprised. Obviously she was surprised, Sam had just told her they’d beaten God and that now he was human. It’s quite a bit of information. “So now what?” 

Sam was silent for a moment. Thinking. 

Finally he said, “I don’t know. I guess everyone goes back to their normal lives. Or, as normal as they can get.” 

“Um, alright. I guess I’ll tell them that everything’s okay now. I’ll tell them they can go home.” 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” 

“Bye, Sam.” 

“Bye.” He hung up and turned to Dean, “I guess everyone’s back.” 

Dean forced a smile, he still wasn’t completely happy, but he didn’t want Sam knowing about that. “Yeah.” 

“Oh!” Sam turned his phone back on and opened messages. “I should text Eileen.” 

“You still wanna go meet her?” Dean asked him. “I mean, if I were you I’d want to see my girlfriend after what just happened too.” 

Sam rolled his eyes, “Yeah actually, that’d be nice.” 

~*~ 

When they got there, Sam jumped out and almost ran to Eileen. 

She was standing by her car and clearly looked stressed. “Sam, what’s going on?” she asked, signing as she spoke. 

“Nothing, everything’s fine,” he said, trying his best at signing back to her. “Well, everything’s fine,  _ now. _ ” 

She looked confused, “What do you mean?” 

Sam didn’t respond, he just grabbed her and pulled her into a giant bear hug. (Moose hug?) He was relieved that she was alright. He was so goddamned relieved to have her back in his arms where he knew she was ok. 

He had happy tears in his eyes as he pulled away to tell her what had happened. 

While they spoke, Dean stood a little farther off, giving them some space. He was smiling sadly. He was happy that Sam had his girlfriend back and that Eileen was alright, but something in his chest felt hollow. Like there was something missing. 

Eileen went back to the bunker with them. Sam didn’t want to spend the night away from her, so he asked her to go with them and, obviously, she agreed. 

Chuck had been defeated. 

They were safe. 


	2. Petition to Cancel Nightmares and Daydreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see you’re back for another chapter  
> Thank you for continuing, I really appreciate it :)  
> Once again, I used some of the dialogue from the pie scene

Dean yelled as he bolted upright in his bed. The name of his lost friend tearing from his throat, but not loud enough to wake anyone up. 

He’d had a nightmare. 

He got up and slowly walked out of his room and towards the kitchen. 

He needed a beer. 

He opened the fridge and grabbed the first one he saw. Not even looking at the label, he opened it and took a drink. The familiar bitter taste calmed him. 

He set it on the table and dropped into one of the chairs. He didn’t want to think about his dream. About that day. About  _ him _ . 

He couldn’t think about any of that, it brought too much pain. 

His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. 

He wasn’t going to cry. He  _ couldn’t _ cry. Not again. He’d already cried after it happened, why couldn’t the sadness stop? 

No. It wasn’t so much sadness as it was emptiness. Yeah, that’s what it was. Emptiness. Dean felt empty. Alone. 

It felt like a piece of him was missing. And a vital piece at that. 

Although, it’s only natural to feel that way when you lose a dear friend. 

Right? 

Yeah. 

Who knows how long Dean spent sitting there. All he knew was that he stayed long enough for Sam to wake up and walk in at his usual ungodly hour. 

He saw Dean and barked a laugh, “Who knew you could wake up this early.” 

“I couldn’t sleep.” 

Sam’s smile dropped instantly, “Oh.” He studied his brother. Saw his blank stare and asked, “Is something wrong?” 

Dean sighed, “It’s Cas.” 

Sam was silent. 

“I dreamt about Cas,” he said looking up and meeting Sam’s gaze. “About that day.” 

Sam frowned, “You know it isn’t your fault, right?” 

Dean didn’t know how to respond, so instead he told him what had happened. Told him about how Billy had cornered them and that they were most likely going to die. He told him about the deal Cas had made with the empty and how he used it to save him. 

But Dean left out the part about what Castiel had said right before sacrificing himself. Somehow, it felt too personal. Sam didn’t need to know about Cas’ goodbye to Dean. Partly because he didn’t think it was respectful to Cas, and partly because he didn’t think he could talk about it without breaking down. 

Sam tried his best to comfort Dean, tell him it wasn’t his fault, that the Angel’s sacrifice had been his own choice and that it had saved the world, but he knew there was more to the story. More that Dean wasn’t telling him. But he also knew that Dean wouldn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t press it any more. 

~*~ 

Eileen went back to her place the next day, promising Sam they would see each other more often now that Chuck wasn’t a problem. 

The rest of their week was normal, but after being constantly worried about --you know-- God, it felt strange. 

They woke up, ate breakfast, washed dishes and did the laundry. Dean spent time with their new dog, Miracle, and Sam decided torturing himself with a morning jog every day was a good idea. They spent a while looking for cases to pass the time, but everything was silent. 

Nothing strange. Nothing supernatural. 

One day, however, while they were looking for a potential case, Dean found something even better. 

They got into the impala and Dean drove them to a small town. 

When they arrived and got out of the car Sam turned to him and asked, “You sure you’re ready for this?” 

Dean looked at him with a serious face, “Oh, I don’t have a choice. This is my destiny.” 

They looked at the scene before them. People scattered around tables, and a giant sign that read ‘Pie Fest!’ 

Dean’s voice cracked as he said, “It’s just so beautiful,” and put his hand over his mouth silently taking it all in. 

“Are you crying?” Sam asked with a teasing smile on his face. 

“What? No. You’re crying. I’m—” Dean shook his head in denial. “I’m, uh, gonna go get some, uh—” 

“Pie?” 

“I’m gonna go get some  _ damn _ pie.” He was nodding and had a huge grin on his face. 

Sam sat down on a bench and waited for Dean, watching the families walk by with their little children, a sad look in his eyes. 

When Dean came back he was carrying a big box in his arms. “Hey,” he said as he sat down next to his brother. 

Sam looked at the box and did a double take when he saw six slices of different types of delicious looking pie. Then he sighed, and Dean noticed his frown. 

“What? What’s wrong?” 

Sam shook his head, “Nothing, I’m fine.” 

“No, come on. I know that face, that’s— uh,” Dean looked for the right words, “that’s Sad Sam face.” 

He scoffed, “I’m not Sad Sam.” 

Dean raised his eyebrows. 

“I was just—” Sam didn’t want to bring it up, but he knew his brother wouldn’t let it drop. “I’m thinking about Cas, you know? Jack. If they could be here.” 

Dean nodded and looked away trying to hide the way his smile dropped, “Yeah.” He didn’t want to think about that, especially not Cas. But, just as his brother had comforted him, he put it upon himself to comfort Sam. He put on a brave face, just as he always had. “You know that pain’s not gonna go away, right?” He looked at Sam and did his best to keep the sadness at bay. “But if we don’t keep livin’, then all that sacrifice is gonna be for nothing.” 

Sam nodded and then Dean elbowed him. 

“So quit being an Eeyore. Come on,” he passed him a fork as he grabbed a slice of pie for himself, “get into this.” 

“Yeah you’re right,” Sam said as Dean laughed to himself. 

He grabbed a slice with a lot of what looked to be white icing on top and right when Dean was going to take a bite of his own pie, Sam slammed it into his face. 

He laughed as the plate slid off, leaving a white trail all over Dean’s nose and mouth. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for a  _ very _ long time,” he said with a smile. Dean glared at him as he continued to laugh. “Ah, you’re right. I do feel better.” 

Dean used his fork to scrape off the icing from his face and eat it. He was  _ not _ letting any of that go to waste because of his immature younger brother. 

~*~ 

The next couple of days didn’t have anything interesting either. Everything was relatively normal, which Dean did not enjoy. He needed something interesting in his life. He needed something to keep him busy. 

His dreams didn’t stop though. He kept seeing Cas in his sleep. 

Sometimes in the really bad ones he would see him surrounded by darkness and chained, calling for him. He always looked so scared. Always on the verge of tears. And Dean could never do anything. He’d just stand there and watch, unable to say anything or reach out, as Cas was in front of him screaming for help. For Dean. 

In his other dreams, that wouldn’t have him waking up in a cold sweat, it might as well have been worse. 

Dean would be out, having fun, and suddenly Cas would be there. Obviously Dean was overjoyed to see him, but Cas was never happy. 

He was always glaring at him. Angry. He yelled, “Why did you leave me? Why did you let me die?” He would scream at him, completely outraged. And Dean never had an answer. He  _ couldn’t _ answer. 

Why did he leave Cas? Why didn’t he stop him from summoning the empty? Surely they could have come up with some kind of plan, and if not then maybe Dean could have saved Cas. Even if he had died in the process. 

Dean hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since Castiel had died. And he wasn’t doing much better during the day. Sometimes while he was awake, he could’ve sworn he’d seen him. 

Once he was at a grocery store, buying the necessities, you know, the healthy food Sam insists on eating, the beer that wasn’t doing anything for his liver, and pie for himself. And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone walk by into the next isle. 

It was Castiel. 

He was wearing the same old trench coat he always wore. The one Dean had eventually come to think of as Cas’ signature coat. 

Obviously, Dean ran after him. He turned the corner, but it wasn’t Cas. 

Of course it wasn’t Cas because he was dead. 

_ Castiel is dead.  _

Sure, Jack had told them that they’d do their best to free him, but there was no guarantee. The Shadow was a separate being from God, so who was Jack to demand that Cas be freed. Especially after he had made a deal with them. Dean knew they wouldn’t take it too lightly if Cas got out. 

Castiel was dead and he wasn’t coming back. Dean was never going to see him again. 

Dean wasn’t getting his angel back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me making myself sad  
> Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter


	3. Of Course Dean Winchester Does Not Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re still here, I really appreciate you :)  
> Also, here we get some well deserved Wayward Sisters content  
> Also a little background Kaia x Claire because I love them

It had been a week since they had defeated Chuck and their good friend, Jody Mills, had called and decided they needed to celebrate their victory against God. 

Sam and Dean would pick up Eileen and drive to Sioux Falls where they would have a nice dinner with Jody, Donna, and the girls. They sure deserved some good food and some nice family time. Besides, Sam wanted them to meet his girlfriend, and Dean was excited to tease him in front of everyone. 

When they got there, they were immediately greeted with hugs and smiles. They sat on the couch and talked while they waited for the food to be ready, Sam making the introductions. 

Jody and Alex were in the kitchen, but Donna, Claire, Kaia, and Patience, were all very happy to talk and meet Eileen. 

“I still can’t believe Sam managed to find someone who’d like him,” Claire said smiling. She was sitting next to Kaia, both of them holding hands. 

“Hey,'' Sam said defensively but unable to find a good response while the others laughed. 

“I know right,” Dean said, “I can’t believe someone actually decided to be with him.” He looked at his brother grinning, Sam’s famous bitchface his only response. 

“So how’d you two meet?” Patience asked curiously. 

“On a hunt,” Eileen responded, “I killed a banshee.” 

“Oooo,” Donna said, instantly intrigued, “So was it love at first sight, or did you get to know each other first?” 

Sam blushed lightly and stuttered, not even able to get a single word in. 

Eileen smiled and said, “Well I died first, but then we started dating when he brought me back.” 

There was silence as everyone was momentarily stunned. 

Kaia then broke the silence by saying, “Why am I not even that surprised.” 

Claire laughed and said, “Wouldn’t expect anything less from the Winchesters.” 

They all shared a laugh and kept talking. They seemed to have immediately taken a liking to Eileen, which Sam was eternally grateful for. 

Donna even went as far as to say, “Keep her, Sam. She’s good. I like her.” 

Dean chuckled as Sam turned bright red, clearly flustered, “Oh my— Donna—” 

Sam was cut off by Jody’s voice from the kitchen as she yelled, “Dinner’s ready!” 

They all made their way to the table and sat. Sitting squashed together to fit at the small table was entirely too uncomfortable, but they were all too happy to care. The atmosphere felt like a normal Sunday dinner with family, and they were enjoying it too much to complain about their knees knocking against the person sitting next to them. 

They looked at the food spread in front of them stunned. It must have been at least three different courses with enough side food to leave them all in a food coma for the rest of the month. 

Dean was ecstatic. 

They ate and talked about anything and everything. Joking and teasing. At one point Claire threw some mashed potatoes at Dean and Sam was not very happy when some got into his precious hair. 

After a while, Claire asked the question she had clearly been holding in, “So where’s Castiel?” She looked at Sam and Dean and watched as their gazes immediately fell, “What happened to him?” 

Dean was quiet, he didn’t want to look up and have them all see the pain written all over his face. 

Sam, mercifully, answered the question, “He sacrificed himself. He didn’t make it, but he saved us.” He tried for a smile, but it didn’t look quite right, “He saved the world.” 

Claire looked down, “Oh.” 

Kaia grabbed her hand and brought it up, kissing her knuckles. Claire smiled at her sadly. 

They were all quiet a moment, then Jody lifted her glass and said, “To Castiel, the angel who helped save the world.” 

They all lifted in a salute and repeated, “To Cas!” 

Dean still hadn’t looked up when he pushed his chair back and stood. He muttered a half hearted excuse of getting more wine, and walked to the kitchen, leaving them to their conversation. 

After a moment, Jody got up and said, “I’ll help him.” Dean didn’t need help, but she wanted to talk with him privately. 

She walked into the kitchen and asked, “Dean, are you okay?” 

He was standing in front of the open fridge with his back turned, not wanting her to see his face, “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“Alright,” she sighed, definitely not believing him, “let me rephrase that. What’s wrong?” 

He turned around and Jody’s demeanor immediately softened as she saw his red eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong,” she said gently. She walked closer and placed her hand on his arm in a soothing manner. 

All the emotions Dean had been doing his best to keep at bay, all the sadness and emptiness he had been feeling, finally became too much. He let out a heart wrenching sob and the dam burst as all of his tears and cries broke through. 

Jody pulled him close and let him cry into her shoulder. 

Dean told her everything. He told her about how Billy was going to kill them. About how they were trapped and that they were all going to die, because he hadn’t killed Chuck. He told her of the deal Castiel had made and that it was the only way to save him. That it was the only way to save Dean. 

And he told Jody about what the angel had said to him before the Empty had been summoned. “He said— he said I changed him. He—” Dean struggled to get the words out. “He said so much, and I didn’t— I couldn’t.” Another sob tore through his words, cutting him off mid-sentence. 

Dean took a moment to catch his breath, then he finally said the words he hadn’t even let himself think about, “He said he loved me.” 

Dean wasn’t sobbing anymore, but another wave of silent tears spilled over at those words. 

Jody froze, her mind racing, trying to figure out exactly how Dean felt at that moment by his voice alone. She needed to choose her next words carefully. She pulled away from him, just enough to look him in the eye but still in a comforting embrace. “How do you feel about him?” she asked slowly. 

“I— what?” Dean asked, his voice shaky and cheeks still wet from crying. 

Jody sighed, still trying to gauge his emotions and how to word her next sentence properly, “You obviously care about him a great deal, but how do you  _ feel _ about him?” 

Dean had never thought about it. Or rather, he’d never  _ allowed _ himself to think about it. “I— I don’t—” He cut himself off, unsure of what to say. 

Jody wanted to slap him over the head and yell,  _ you love him, dumbass, _ but he needed to figure that out on his own. Although she wasn’t sure how he hadn't realized it, seeing as she had only met Castiel once and it took no time for her to realize just how smitten they were with each other. 

Dean was deep in thought, thinking of Castiel and remembering all of their time together. He remembered their time in purgatory, and how devastated he had felt when he’d gotten out and thought he had left Cas to die. He remembered that even when he was supposed to be completely in love with Amara, the only one he could think of was the angel trapped in his vessel with Lucifer in control. And the pain he had felt when he’d watched Lucifer stab him in the back. 

He had thought those were all normal feelings people had for their best friend. Normal grief at losing someone close to you. But then he thought of the pure bliss he felt when Jack had brought Castiel back when they had been born. He remembered just how happy it had made him and how, compared to Sam, he had taken it at a completely different level. Sure, Sam had been happy to see the angel, but Dean had almost cried of joy at the sight of his angel standing there, waiting for him. Completely fine and healthy. 

Dean’s eyes widened as realization hit him. “I think—” Dean’s voice was a soft whisper, “I think I love him.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohoho, Dean is finally acknowledging his feelings.  
> Took him long enough  
> As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you next week with another update :)


	4. Sexuality is Confusing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading :) Hope you enjoy!

“I think—” Dean’s voice was a soft whisper, “I think I love him.” 

Jody was silent for a moment. Then she smiled and said, “Yeah, I think so too.” 

By this point, Dean’s tears had stopped and he’d wiped away the tears that were still running down his cheeks. He looked to the side thoughtfully, “I’d never really considered the fact that I might not be straight.” 

“Really?” Jody asked, too surprised to stop herself. 

“What,” Dean scoffed, “did you know?” 

“About you? Not really, but I had a theory,” Jody smiled at Dean’s surprise before continuing. “I just thought most people questioned themselves at least once when they were young.” 

“I mean, I did a long time ago, but my dad…” Dean didn’t let himself finish the sentence. “I guess I just kind of forgot about it before I found an answer.” 

Jody wanted to know what he had meant by that, but she also got the feeling it wouldn’t be a nice memory. Instead she sighed and said, “Oh well, in any case, now you know you like men too.” 

No. Not men.  _ Just him.  _

Sure, Dean had found other men attractive before, but he’d never really wanted to act on it. Not like he wished he could with Cas. And he’d never felt so strongly about someone. 

“What about you?” Dean asked as they turned to walk back to the table, “Did you ever question? Ever experiment?” He punctuated the last word with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. 

Jody frowned at him, confused. “I’m bisexual.” 

Dean’s eyes widened and in shock he practically screamed, “What?” 

She laughed, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You really didn’t know?” 

They were standing near the table now, and everyone sitting down turned to look at them. 

“Know what?” Sam asked, wondering what the hell they had been discussing that had kept them in the kitchen for so long. 

Jody turned to him and said, “I’m bi.” 

Sam looked equally as surprised as Dean. 

“Donna and I have been dating for a while now,” she said laughing. 

Dean’s eyes were as big as saucers as he yelled, “You guys have been  _ what _ ?” 

Donna, equally confused, asked, “You boys didn’t know?” She looked between the two and seeing as they were both still processing the information, realized they really hadn’t noticed. “We weren’t even hiding it, you know.” 

Alex smiled and said, “You guys are clearly very observant,” her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Sam was looking from Donna to Jody, his mouth open but words struggling to come out. “How— how long?” he asked simply. 

“A couple years,” Jody said, as she and Dean finally sat down at the table to continue eating. 

“So,” Dean turned to Donna and asked, “are you bi too?” 

“Well no, I’m pansexual, but they’re quite similar.” 

Sam frowned and asked, “What’s that?” 

Claire laughed and said, “Wow, you guys really need to learn some more terms. It isn’t as simple as lesbian, gay, or bi.” 

Dean frowned, “Sorry I’m too old to know all of these new terms.” 

Donna rolled her eyes and said, “Gender is irrelevant. I am attracted to people, regardless of their gender.” 

“Oh, I think I read about that somewhere,” Eileen said, “It’s one of the many sexualities people say doesn’t exist, right?” 

“Yeah,” Donna looked down sadly, “unfortunately a lot of people deny the existence of a lot of sexualities because they say they’re made up words.” 

“Well that’s stupid,” Sam said frowning. “Just because there wasn’t a word for it one hundred years ago, doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.” 

They continued talking, sharing jokes and stories, until it was late and Sam realized they should head back to the bunker if they wanted to get some sleep. 

They said their goodbyes and headed back to the car, each of them carrying an obscene amount of food Jody made them take home. 

In the car, Dean contemplated whether he should tell Sam this new information about his sexuality. Eileen was in the backseat, and seemed to be drifting in and out of sleep, so she wouldn’t know what he’d be telling Sam, which was just as well because Dean wasn’t sure he was ready to tell other people. He just wanted to tell his brother. 

Around halfway through the ride, Dean managed to muster up enough courage. 

“Hey, Sam,” he started, quickly realizing he was much more nervous about it than he had initially thought. 

“Yeah?” Sam turned to him, a curious expression adorning his face. 

“Uh w—well,” Damnit, of course he had to stutter. How very manly of him. “I—uh, I think—” 

“Just spit it out, Dean,” Sam said, clearly not in the mood for Dean’s spluttering. 

“I’m not straight.” 

Silence. 

Dean glanced at his brother, worried about his reaction. 

“Okay,” Sam said slowly, “so what, are you gay?” 

“No no, I like women,” Dean said quickly, “but I guess I like guys too.” 

“So bi? Or pansexual like Donna?” 

Dean thought for a moment. Finally he said, “I’m not sure. I know I like women, a lot, but there are…  _ some _ guys I like too.” 

“What, like that cowboy guy whose corpse was being eaten by that ghoul a couple years ago?” Sam asked with a teasing smile. 

“What, Dave Mathers?” Dean asked incredulously, “No, I just—” then he really thought about it. “Son of a bitch,” he whispered under his breath. Maybe he did have a little crush on the dead cowboy. 

Sam laughed and continued, “What about that doctor from that show we were trapped in, or that wrestler, Gunner Lawless?” 

Dean’s face started turning red and he said, “Okay, okay maybe I liked them too, shut up.” 

Sam just chuckled to himself before getting serious and asking, “When did you find out?” 

Dean was quiet for a moment, then he said, “Today, actually.” 

Surprised, Sam said, “Really?” 

“What, did you have your suspicions too?” 

“Yeah, for a while now,” he laughed. “You and Cas did have a more  _ profound bond _ .” Then his eyes widened, regretting what he had just said immediately after saying it. 

He looked at Dean and saw sadness clearly written all over it. 

“Yeah,” Dean said quietly. 

They rode in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. 

After some time, Sam finally asked him, “So, did you… like him?” 

“Cas?” 

Sam nodded. 

Dean thought for a while about how to respond, finally deciding on a simple, “Yeah.” 

Sam looked down and said, “Sorry, it must be hard.” 

Not wanting his emotions to get the better of him again, Dean said, “Yeah well, it’s not like we never lose people we care about.” 

“Well yeah, but I’ve never seen you like that with anyone,” Sam said, and without thinking he continued, “not even with Lisa.” 

He froze. The wine must have affected him a little more than he’d thought because,  _ clearly _ he had no control over his mouth. 

He remembered how much she had meant to Dean, and how devastated he had been to leave her. He quickly opened his mouth to apologise but as he turned to face him he saw that Dean wore a sad smile. 

“Yeah, I cared about Lisa,” he said, “but I feel different about Cas. Like it’s stronger.” His smile faded and he said, “Son of a bitch, I miss him.” 

Sam turned back to face the front and they rode in silence all the way back. 

~*~

Once they got to the bunker, they brought in all the food Jody gave them and set it on the table. 

Sam yawned and tiredly said, “I think I’m going to go to bed now.” 

He looked at Eileen and she said, “me too.” 

As they turned to go to Sam’s room, they heard footsteps. They turned back and got into a fighting stance, taking out their guns only to realize Jack had walked out in front of them. 

They were all surprised but happy to see their adopted kid. 

“Hello!” They said, raising their hand in their typical greeting. “I pulled some strings, but overall I think you’ll be happy. I mean, I am.” 

Confused, Sam and Dean simultaneously said, “Huh?” 

Then from behind they heard a deep and gruff voice that Dean thought he’d never get to hear again. 

“Hello, Dean.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *le gasp* Castiel is back! Yayyy  
> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it  
> I personally love the idea of Jody and Donna dating and no one realizing it even though they're not even hiding it  
> Also, I do think Dean is bisexuall, but because Jensen said he wanted to leave it up to interpretation (or something like that) I decided he would think about it some other time because he’s had enough of a sexuality crisis as it is  
> Also I feel like he'd take a while to actually figure it out


	5. The Occasional Chick Flick Moment Is OK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy thanks for coming back!   
> As always, I hope you enjoy   
> Also, I feel like it should be noted that I am an aromantic asexual and have never experienced anything remotely romantic so writing romance is a little difficult   
> (literally all of my knowledge on the subject comes from the media I’ve consumed so if it’s bad I apologize)

“Hello, Dean.” 

Sam and Dean swivel around immediately, Eileen following a second later, to see Castiel standing in front of them kind of awkwardly. Just as usual. 

Dean’s eyes widened and he whispered under his breath, “Cas.” 

He couldn’t believe it. Just hours ago he had been crying over his dead friend and now here he was standing right in front of him. 

Dean was in shock. Again. 

Sam bolted to Castiel immediately, wasting no time to give him a hug and greet his friend. Eileen gave him a brief hug as well and a nice, “Welcome back.” 

Dean was still standing by the table, rooted to the ground, but when they had separated from Cas and their gazes locked, Dean’s voice broke as once again he said, “Cas.” 

Dean all but ran at his angel and took him in a bone crushing hug. He hugged him like he never wanted to let go, like if he let go, Castiel would be gone forever. Again. 

They stayed like that for a while, holding onto each other like their lives depended on it. Sam, Jack, and Eileen were standing a little farther away discussing how they brought back Castiel and what they had been doing for the past couple of weeks. But Dean wasn’t listening because Cas was back, and he was holding him in his arms, and Dean hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. 

Then they heard soft footsteps, too quick to be a human, and the next thing they knew, there was a dog jumping on Castiel. Unfortunately, they were forced to let go of each other. 

Dean cleared his throat and said, “Sorry, I’m just glad you’re back.” 

The angel looked at him with his piercing blue eyes and smiled, “It’s alright.” 

They looked down at the dog and Dean introduced Cas and Jack to the new member of the Winchester family, Miracle. 

Dean watched Cas bend down to give Miracle a pat on the head in greeting, looking at the angel like he was the world. 

Jack immediately bounced over and sat down in front of Miracle, the dog licking their face as soon as there was a chance. 

Dean smiled. Funny, seeing a dog licking the face of a nephilim-turned-god. 

Jack played with Miracle for a bit, talking with their parents and Eileen, but then they said they needed to leave. “I’m working on fixing heaven and restoring the angels.” 

“Oh,” Sam said, surprised, “how will you do that?” 

“It’s too complicated to explain.” 

Sam gave him his **Bitchface #17:** _Are you kidding me? You don’t think I’m smart enough to understand?_

Jack of course didn’t pick up on what Sam was trying to telepathically say without really saying, so they quickly said goodbye and left in a flash of light. 

They all looked at each other and decided to just sit down and talk. They drank some beer that would most definitely have a lasting effect on their poor livers, and just talked. 

_ It’s good to have Cas back. _

He told them Jack had filled him in on how they had beaten god, and about some of the nephilim’s plans for a better heaven. 

After a while of talking, Sam and Eileen announced that they were tired and left for bed. Sam knew Dean and Cas had to talk, and as much as he wanted to watch Dean finally talk about his feelings, he didn’t want to get in the middle of that. 

Castiel and Dean sat in silence, just enjoying each other’s presence while finishing their beers. 

Finally, Cas broke the silence first. “Dean,” his voice wavered and he struggled to find the right words, “I’m sorry.” 

Dean turned to him, confused, “For what?” 

“The way things ended. I’m sorry I left you like that. I’m sorry I couldn’t help more with Chuck.” 

Impulsively, Dean grabbed his hand and just held it, both of them staring at their intertwined fingers. “Don’t say that,” he whispered, “You sacrificed yourself for me. I can never repay you.” 

“Dean, we’ve both died before,” Cas said, trying for lighthearted banter. “This isn’t anything new.” 

Dean chuckled, “True.” His face suddenly became more serious, “But not like that.” 

Cas, trying to regain the light mood, said, “Suicide by throwing myself into the Empty?” 

“Well yeah, but that’s not what I meant.” He was silent for a second. “I mean, you’ve never said  _ that _ to me.” 

Castiel’s gaze dropped and he let go of Dean’s hand, putting both of them into his lap, fidgeting and squirming. “Oh, right.” He looked kind of panicked. “I’m sorry I said that, and I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, but it made me truly happy, really it was the only way to save you—” 

Dean’s eyes widened, “So, you said that in a…” he thought for a moment about how to fraze his question, “... not the way you’d tell a brother?” he was hopeful, but terrified that he’d read it wrong. Maybe Cas hadn't meant it like that, and maybe he really only cared about him the way he cared about Sam . 

Cas seemed to be in almost physical pain. “Yes, I am romantically attracted to you,” he said and was quick to add, “but you don’t need to say it back, or return my feelings. I’m happy just knowing I have told you, but if you want to forget about it,” in his panic, he started rambling, “actually, that’d be best because you don't feel the same—” 

Dean had finally gotten his feelings and thoughts in order and he quickly cut Cas off mid-sentence, “Who said I didn’t?” Dean’s grin was nearly splitting his face in half. He was so happy. 

“I— what?” Cas stopped talking, he wasn’t sure he heard that right. 

“I love you too, you feathery dumbass.” 

Cas was shocked. I mean, of course he was, that was a rather rude love confession, but a love confession nonetheless, and it was so very  _ Dean _ . 

A moment later, he threw himself at Dean in a bone crushing embrace, their lips meeting momentarily and then separating so that he could bury his face in Dean’s neck, a smile far bigger than anyone had ever seen on his ever serious face. Dean immediately wrapped his arms around his angel and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of having the man in his arms. 

They stayed like that for a long time, although it wasn’t a very comfortable position in the chairs they were both now half sitting in. 

But neither of them cared. 

They were far too happy to just be in each other’s arms. 

~*~

The next morning, they were all in the kitchen, Sam, Eileen, and Cas sitting around the small table talking happily. Dean was at the stove flipping pancakes smiling, listening to their laughter. Very few moments in his life had ever been this peaceful. 

“Alright, here you go,” He said, bringing two plates and setting them in front of Sam and Eileen. 

As Dean turned back for the other two plates, both of them immediately started digging into his amazing cooking. 

Moments later, Dean set the plates on the table and slid one to Castiel. 

“Dean, you know I don’t need to eat,” He said, tilting his head in confusion. 

“Come on, just try it. I’m a great cook.” Dean brushed his lips over Cas’ hair in a light and gentle kiss before sitting down to eat his food, a soft blush on his cheeks. 

Sam raised his eyebrows, smiling at his brother in a knowing way, but said nothing. Eileen, looking a little more confused, glanced at the both of them before smiling warmly. 

No one said anything, because there was nothing that needed to be said. 

They were all happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter was kind of short, but next chapter will definitely be longer   
> I’m just very happy that Dean finally talked with Cas and now they’re together! Yay!   
> See you next week :)


End file.
